Laszlo - Bar Next to Foreign Cinema [San Francisco]

I know this isn't a restaurant, but you can order the whole FC menu from 5-10 p.m., every day, besides Laszlo's own bar-bites menu. Who knew? i didn't. After a snafu in our Kronnerburger plans, with visiting Ch-er grayelf and her hubby in tow, plus local Ch-er escargot3 and her fab companion joining in a bit later, we went for happy hour Sunday evening. we tried duck fat cracklings (tasty but a little too five-spicey for me, would have preferred them more salty); a chunky brandade with toasted bread (perfectly salty and went great with our Body Heat cocktails (tito's jalapeño-infused vodka, fresh lime & cointreau - a perfectly tart/snappy cocktail)); the crispy pork belly (great); the carpaccio with tarragon and sauce verte (paper thin, almost looked like stains on the dish, with wonderfully crispy match-stick fries); and house-cured sardines with roasted peppers, manchego and broccoli rabe crostini. Great food in an informal setting, with good tunes, and a hockey game playing on the wall for the enjoyment of grayelf's "auxiliary stomach". This place needs to become a regular for me. (ridiculous, as i live around the corner, that it's taken me this long.)

Dang, it's just time for a cocktail and I'd love to have one of those spicy ones right now. This really is a super option for HH with a great combo of food and drinks (not to mention a $3 pint for the SO).

had another excellent time at Laszlo. Sat at the bar Saturday night at around 7:30 p.m. before it filled up with the drinking crowd. the BF had a beer, and i had my favorite cocktail (mentioned in my OP) and then a glass of the featured wine with dinner: a 2007 Redortier Beaumes-De-Venise - a mellow Rhone wine .

everything was delicious - the salad was light and extremely fresh - the little lettuces tender, the dressing tart and just slightly tarragon-y. the melons were super juicy and the duck prosciutto good and salty if a tad dry. we saw no evidence of pepita brittle described on the menu, but the nibs gave nice little bites of bitterness. very good dish. the steak was a somewhat small portion, especially when we saw our neighbor chowing down on a gigantor pork chop that looked fantastic. our steak came sliced - a pet peeve of the BF's, as he feels the meat shows up under temp when served that way - and he was right, the meat was a little tepid. however, it was perfectly cooked, with a wonderful crunchy exterior, juicy and really flavorful, very beefy. the potatoes had a great smokiness to them.

we almost never order dessert, but we were celebrating, and decided to look at the dessert menu. the first item jumped out at me and we got it - peach tarte tatin with corn ice cream. there has been a discussion on WFD on the Home Cooking thread about corn ice cream from a recent NYT recipe (looking at you, lingua!), and i had to have it. it was absolutely fantastic. sweet but not overly so, corny, mellow, creamy wonderfulness. i'd order this anytime they'd have it on the menu. the summer peaches in the tarte were deliciously caramelized. what a great meal.

i just love this place. great music, attentive service in a casual setting (although the napkins are still cloth!), "On the Waterfront" playing in the background... perfect evening.